Rumors of Apple iWatch are hitting fever pitch suggesting that the rumored smartwatch is likely to be unveiled soon.
First up we have a new report from the ever reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo, who told investors that the iWatch will feature a 2-inch square sapphire display and Touch ID. Additonally, the device will reportedly come with a number of sensors to monitor motion, sleep, temperature and much more. The most interesting revelation is that of the 2-inch square sapphire display. Past reports suggested that the iWatch will feature a curved rectangular display similar to that of the Gear Fit from Samsung.
Next we have a new report from Chinese-language Economic Daily News (UDN) that the iWatch will be unveil in the third quarter and will target 65 million units in shipments for 2014. The report further states that the iWatch will be manufactured by Quanta Computer and touch panel supplied by TPK.
And finally, Barclays’s chip analyst Blayne Curtis posits that Silicon Labs may have an ultraviolet light sensor in the rumored Apple iWatch device:
Silicon Labs recently announced a family of products featuring the industry’s first digital ultraviolet index sensors. These chips measure UV exposure to aid those with elevated risk of sunburn or just a general concern about excessive sun exposure, and we believe they may be of appealing to OEMs looking to differentiate in a crowded market. To that end, while these products have seen little public hype thus far, we believe SLAB has a win in Apple’s upcoming iWatch (late 2H14 or early 2015). Timing of the iWatch seems in flux, but if it comes this year, we estimate it at an opportunity worth $2-4M in revenue ($0.01-0.02 in EPS) in 2H, assuming an ASP of ~$0.40 and 5-10M iWatches.